WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — NORAD is planning to fly three planes over the Washington area in the early morning hours in order to calibrate instruments.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command says the flights will take place Tuesday between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Three Beechcraft King Air planes will be involved in the flights.

NORAD says the flights will also help improve its ability to respond to potentially threatening aircraft in the region.

NORAD is a United States and Canada bi-national organization that controls aerospace and aerospace warnings for North America. Aerospace warning includes the monitoring of man-made objects in space, and the detection, validation, and warning of attack against North America whether by aircraft, missiles, or space vehicles, through mutual support arrangements.

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